Hatchway cover



March 19, 1940. A J, DAWSON El- A| 2,194,012

v HATcHwAY covER Y l Filed Sept. l. 1938 2 Sheefs-Sheet 1 I I4 I3 INVENTORS v gf 11E aM/m4! v March 19, 1940. A, J, DAWSON ET AL 2,194,012

HATCHWAY COVER Filed Sept. l, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 19A, 1940 UNITED STATES HATCHWAY oovER Albert J. Dawson and Ernest Willison, Sewickley,

Pa., assignors to Dravo Corporation, a corporation of Pennsylvania.

Application September 1, A1938, Serial No. 227,932

1 Claim.

This invention relates to covers for hatchways such as are formed in the decks of ships, and the objects in view are simplicity oi structure and facility of operation.

5 In the accompanying drawings Fig. I isa view in plan and Fig. II a View in side elevation oi the hatchway cover of the invention in place, closing a hatchway. Fig. III is a fragmentary y View to larger scale, showing in side elevation one l0 of the rollers extensibly borne by the hatchway cover, upon which the cover may at proper time and in appropriate manner be moved. Fig. IV is a view in horizontal section, on the plane indicated at IV-IV, Fig. III. Fig. V is a vertical view in vertical and transverse section, illustrating the sealing of the seam oi the meeting edges of two sections of the hatchway cover. Fig. VII is a view in section, on the plane indicated at VII-VII, Fig. VI. Fig. VIII is a view in secf tion, on the plane VIII-VIII, Fig. VII. Fig. IX is a View in vertical section through the margin of the seated cover.

I-Iatchway covers are, as a matter of convenience, commonly formed in sections that are severally handled, and in certain features this invention has specifically to do with sectional covers. The desiderata of a hatchway cover are, that it shall be at once susceptible to easy movement between open and closed positions and that it shall be susceptible to the making of ready and weathertight union with the deck around the margin of the hatchway; and, if it be sectional, it is a further desideratum that the sections be susceptible to the making of ready and watertight union of section to section.

It is common to provide a cover or a cover section with extensible rollers, upon which, when the rollers are extended, it mayreadily be moved, the retraction of the rollers allowing the hatchway or the hatchway section to come to line engagement along its edges with the deck surface (commonly the surface of a kerb or combing at the margin of the hatchway). It is with a 45 hatchway provided with such extensible rollers that our invention has to do; and the first feature of the invention is found in improvement in this extensible roller equipment.

The cover in this case is a two-piece cover, consisting of two generally identical panels I and 2. Upon opposite parallel margins of the hatchway extend parallel combings that include kerb plates 3, and tracks inthe form inverted channels 4 that are welded externally upon the kerb plates, leaving the edges of the kerb plates standsection, on the plane V-V, Fig. III. Fig. VI is a n which the hatchway opening is completely unlo covered. y

Each of the panels I and 2 consists of a plate that rises from opposite margins to a medial peak P-P, and of vertical flanges 5 extending along three sides, whose lower edges lie in a common horizontal plane. Onthe fourth side the two panels meet, in a union presently to be described. The panels are equipped at opposite ends with rollers 6 upon which they run upon the tracks (I, 4.

The rollers 6 are mounted for rotation immediately in blocks that are pivotally mounted on the panelsandby such doublek mounting the desired extensibility of the rollers is provided. The specific structure may, conveniently, be that illustrated in Figs. III-V. A bracket I upon the outer face of the flange 5'of the panel carries a pivotlug 8; in the lug 8 a pair'of plates 9' (that together constitute the block) is pivotally carried, and between the plates 9 the roller B is journaled. A plate I0 borne by the ange 5 is provided with an arc-shaped slot II that in the assembly is concentric withthe pivotal centre upon which the plates 9, 9 are mounted; a pin I2 borne by plates 9, 9 extends through the slot, and the ends of the slot dei-lne the limits of pivotal swing of the block Each of the panels I and 2 is equipped at its two ends with a pair of rollers 6, so mounted upon it. The two blocks 9 of themountings that constitute such a painare reversely and symmetrically shaped and positioned-that is to say, the block 9 as seen in Fig. III being pivoted on the left and provided on the right with the slotand-pin control of range of swing, the companion block of the pair will be understood to be pivoted o-n the right, and provided on the left with corresponding slot-and-pin control. The two blocks of such pair are united by a rod I3 pivoted to them at corresponding symmetrical points, remote from the centre of pivotal mounting. The rod includes a turn-buckle I4. As the rod is by the turning of the buckle reduced in length, the block 9 as seen in Fig. III is turned clockwise, while the companion block is turned oppositely, and thus the rollers are extended, and

the cover panel is raised, to rest on the rollers; as the rod is lengthened the rollers are retracted, until the panel comes to rest by its edges on rails 4. The effect of the formation of the slots I I of definite and limited length is that the two rollers of the pair are, with proper turning of the turnbuckle I4, fully extended or retracted. If one roller reaches the limit of its range in advance of the other it will remain at that limit and further turning of the turn-buckle will complete the movement of the roller that has been laggard.

Along their two opposed sides the panels I and 2 are provided with complementary seam-forming parts. Referring first to Fig. VI, one of the two panels (panel 2) carries along this side and just below the upper surface a drainage channel I5, and the other panel carries a gasket strip I6 upon which, when the panels come together in closure over the hatchway, the channel I5 abuts. The panel I that carries the gasket strip carries also an eaves plate I'l that at its edge overliangs the channel I5. A turn-buckle shackle union I8 secures the assembly. The drainage channel I5 extends at its ends beyond the limiting vertical flanges 5 of the panels. Adjacent the seam, one panel carries a re-enforcing bar I9, and the other a stop-plate 2U. These two members, cut away above to allow the extent of channel I5 above and beyond them come to the overlapped relative positions indicated in Fig. VIII and are effective to prevent the driving in of rain.

Thus, as will be perceived, the two panels are provided, along their meeting edges, with outstanding anges that come to overlapped position, and these flanges are so particularly shaped and arranged as to form a rain-proof union of the panels.

A gasket strip 2| extends around the outer edge of kerb plate 3 and rests upon the surface of channel 4, along its inner edge. Upon this gasket strip the panels I and 2 rest by their flanges 5, when the cover is in closed position. Dogbolts 22 are provided, as is usual, to secure the closed hatch cover.

The alternate positions of the cover panels are indicated in Figs. V and IX, The lengthening and shortening of the rods I3 effects such a swinging of the blocks 9 as to bring the panel to one or the other of these two positions.

In operation, the cover being closed (as shown in Fig. l) and resting by its edges on gasket strip 2| (as shown in Fig. IX), when the hatchway is to be opened, the dog-bolts 22 are first released, and the shackle I8. The turn-buckles I4 are turned, the rods I3 shortened, and the rollers E extended. By this extension of the rollers the cover is raised from the gasket strip and rests by its rollers 6 upon the tracks 4. The panels then are rolled apart to left and right, uncovering the hatchway. When the panels have thus been shifted, and stand on their rollers at the outer limits of their ranges of travel, the rods I3 may be lengthened, the rollers retracted, and the panels grounded firmly by their edges upon the tracks 4. When thereafter the hatchway is to be covered again, the panels are raised again upon their rollers, rolled to meeting, and secured together by shackle I8. The rollers than are withdrawn, with descent of the cover until it rests again on the gasket strip. Finally, the dog-bolts 22 are re-applied.

We claim as our invention:

In a unitary hatchway cover panel adapted at its edge to rest upon the deck through which the hatchway is formed and provided adjacent such edge with a pair of blocks pivoted to swing vertically upon said cover, two rollers journalled one in each of said blocks, the improvement herein described which consists in the opposite and symmetrical arrangement of the two rollerequipped blocks in their pivotal mounting, whereby the turning of the two blocks in opposite directions upon their pivots effects movement of the blockborne rollers in uniform direction of advance or retraction, means for turning said blocks, such means engaging both blocks and in operation tending to turn the two blocks simultaneously in opposite directions of pivotal turning, and means for limiting the range of pivotal turning of said blocks, whereby the turning means are effective to bring both of the two blocks to the limit of their ranges of turning.

ALBERT J. DAWSON. ERNEST WILLISON. 

